Kartik Aaryan’s upcoming action drama “Captain India” is set amid the Houthi conflict in Yemen, Variety understands.
The film marks Aaryan’s first turn as a pilot. Shimit Amin directs the project, which is based on a real humanitarian evacuation. Aaryan’s character leads the rescue effort.
That conflict is central to the story and adds a geopolitical dimension to the drama. How exactly the fighting figures in the plot has not been disclosed. The film is expected to follow the obstacles of carrying out a humanitarian mission as tensions rise.
The Saudi-Houthi confrontation that continues today dates to 2015, when Houthi forces took the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and Saudi Arabia began a military campaign. Variety understands that “Captain India” draws on what was among the hardest rescue operations India has carried out, in Yemen that same year, when the country evacuated its own citizens along with people from around the world.
T-Series and Baweja Studios produce “Captain India” in association with Dopamine Studios, Aaryan’s banner. Bhushan Kumar of T-Series is among the producers, and S B Films handles production. Nash Vazifdar, Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Shrivastava wrote the screenplay.
Aaryan most recently starred in “Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri” and “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” and has “Naagzilla” and other projects currently in the pipeline. Amin, meanwhile, is best known for directing “Chak De! India” and “Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year” (2009), both for Yash Raj Films, and has largely stayed away from feature directing in the years since. He directed an episode of BBC/Netflix’s “A Suitable Boy” (2020).
The film is currently shooting in the U.K. “Captain India” will open in theaters on Aug. 13, 2027, over the Independence Day weekend in India.